The Ultra Poor Graduation Pilot in Ethiopia is a part of the CGAP/Ford Foundation global initiative, currently being implemented in eight countries, that combines safety net programs with entrepreneurial activities to develop a graduation model for the poorest households. In 2010, we conducted a baseline survey on 1000 ultra-poor households in 10 villages in Tigray, Ethiopia. The households were identified by a community level Food Security Task Force. Public lotteries were held in each village in order to randomly select 500 households (50 per village) to receive the intervention. The treatment households received an intensive support package including: livelihood trainings, productive asset transfer, consumption support, savings plans, and healthcare. By investing in this multifaceted approach, the program strives to eliminate the need for long-term safety net services. Two follow-up surveys were conducted in July 2012 and 2013.

The Ultra Poor Graduation Pilot in Ethiopia provides 500 treatment households with a comprehensive support package. The households receive consumption support for 6 months per year, which is transferred through the government run Productive Safety Net Program. Once households’ food consumption stabilizes, they receive individual savings accounts at DECSI, a microfinance institution operating in the region, as well as business training. Later on, participants receive a livelihood asset chosen from a preselected list of options: raising small ruminants, cattle fattening, petty trade or beekeeping, to help jump start a new economic activity. Participants are monitored throughout the process – they receive home visits to help boost confidence and build expertise, and are provided with access to social and health services.

The sample for the Ultra Poor Graduation Pilot in Ethiopia consisted of 1000 households (100 per village) who were selected by the community level Food Security Task Force as the poorest households. Households within each village were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group through a public lottery process.

Experimental Design Details

Randomization Method

Public lottery- separate lottery for each village

Randomization Unit

Household

Was the treatment clustered?

No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters

1000 households

Sample size: planned number of observations

1000 households

Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms

500 treatment households and 500 control households

Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)